Posts Tagged ‘Games’

Sorry, I am doing this link thing again. My intentions were to stop these, but I have spent so much time writing for other sites that sometimes I just like to put them up to prove I am (still) alive. With that in mind below is a list of all my recent pieces, with a small taster of the articles that I am most proud of.

My game of 2011 list will still be coming soon later this month, as well as some highlights from the year so far. In the mean time check out the links below, keep an eye on Game People, Play Devil and Games Jobs Japan for my regular content. Also be sure to find me on Twitter (I am DoFuss there too) where I will be posting my exploits in video editing with OXM, CVG and other Future sites.

Warhammer 40:000: Space Marine - Call of Juarez: The Cartel – Scary Girl - and…

My silent character had to murder his way through the world with no relatable motivation. While the landscapes were beautiful and absorbing the fiction seemed unaware of the emotional well it left untouched. It left me only with the choice of continuing the senseless killing or turning off the game. I no longer felt like a champion or hero, I didn’t even feel like villain, just a robotic killing machine and that really frightened me. Do you want to know more?

I wasn’t even sure I wanted to go on alone; I felt that somehow, without my partner, to finish would be empty. Then from the darkness I heard a small cry, my screen illuminated slightly in one corner indicating the direction of the call. Wasting what energy I have left I leap towards the sound and am joyously reunited. Do you want to know more?

Just one on here…

After a number of recent posts from foreigners working in Japan our latest interview has a slightly different face, that of Yutaka Kurahashi, Chief Artist at Q-Games. As a Japanese employee working along side foreigners in Japan he provides a good counter point to the discussion of issues to be tackled in a mixed work place, from basic communication to cultural misunderstandings. Kurahashi is also able to compare Q-Games to more traditional Japanese companies that he has worked at, shedding some light on to the changing face of business in his native country, and how he feels injecting new cultural ideas can be of benefit. Do you want to know more?

Reviews

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt2 - Call of Juarez: The Cartel – PX5 Headset – Trouble Witches Neo – Nin2Jump – Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Ms. ‘Splosion-man – Xmen: Destiny – Mario Kart 7 – Rayman Origins (Xbox) – Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception – Captain America – Soul Calibur V - Thor: God of Thunder - BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 2 – Sonic Generations – Rage – Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi - Dark Souls – Batman: Arkham City - Super Mario 3D Land - Zelda: Skyward Sword – Bloodrayne Betrayal – James Noir’s Hollywood Crimes - Trine 2 – Final Fantasy XIII-2 – Wipeout 2048 – Pac-man Party 3D – Uncharted: Golden Abyss – Super Stardust Delta – Rayman Origins (Vita) – Street Fighter X Tekken

Previews

Namco Bandai: An Evening with Ezio – Armored Core V - Inversion – Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations – Ridge Racer Unbounded 

And…

There is a clear respect and seriousness given to the source material by the development team. The few cries that may (will?) be heard of it being in some way sacrilegious will probably find their basis in the fact that such text were used at all (or maybe that they are being regarded as fiction) rather than the handling of it. True some oddities come through, with character design and aesthetic often edging towards the bizarre, but it has gravitas and nothing is treated flippantly. Do you want to know more?

It is a wonderful story with themes that are actually adult, wrapped up in a beautiful anime style, creating an experience rarely seen in a retail console release. As I said it spoke particularly to me and it was interesting as I answered my questions to see just how differently Vincent’s life and my own panned out. Do you want to know more?

It has been a while since I did one of these link posts, and if all you do is follow me on DoFuss you could be easily mistaken for thinking that something horrible has happened to me — especially if you are still waiting for the last DoFuss Show (believe it or not it is still planned). I checked back the other day and I have posted alarmingly little in the past six months despite previous promises of increased content.

I will not make excuses, but my life has been turbulent and my attention drawn away from the site by my search for work and my writing for other sites. In truth though for all of this I have had more than enough time on my hands, and can’t really place how I wasted it all.

Things have been changing though. Firstly the number of sites I now contribute to has grown, now including Games Jobs Japan, a site set up by gaming recruitment agency Interactive Selection to help place foreign workers in Japan. On top of this, while my furious hunt for work has met with a number of refusals recently I have at least been responding to follow up emails and even a few interviews.

A change came for me last week though as I realised that, in order to really get my first foot on the ladder of gaming employment, a bit more direct experience was need. So I joined the Train2Game design course. This two to three year is specifically constructed to help its pupils train for work in the industry. Backed by TIGA, and supported by a range of other gaming institutions, the design course I am on is set to give me a basic grounding in the skills I need to enter the production side of the industry.

But I don’t intend to rest on my laurels or let DoFuss fall to the way side, yes I will be busy studying… and writing… and hopefully working… but my love for this little site endures. With that in mind the direction is to shift slightly. My hope for the next few months is to post daily, but with a more eclectic range of topics (with gaming remaining at the core). The plan is to add news that catches my eye, links to my other writings, diary entries about my course and, on occasion, the kind of musings you have come to expect from DoFuss.

So starting soon, maybe tomorrow, expect DoFuss to get busier. Until then (like you can’t wait) below are links to everything you may have missed since my last link post, just to prove I have been keeping myself out of trouble. Also, for the record these big link posts may look lazy but they are a pain in the arse to do, so this will (thankfully) be the last one.

Scared Gamer Reviews- DJ Hero 2, Super Meat Boy, Braid (PS3), Dr Kawashima, Costume Quest, Dead Space 2, Dead Space Extraction, Dead Rising 2, Dead Rising Case West, Stacking, Pilotwings Resort, Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Portal 2, Steel Diver, Gatling Gears, Beyond Good and Evil HD, InFamous 2.

Reporting Gamer Previews - Yoostar 2, Ninja Gaiden 3, Serious Sam 3: BFE, Catherine, SSX: Deadly Descents, Rayman Origins, Ridge Racer Unbounded, Orcs Must Die, Prey 2, Blood Rayne Betrayal, The Darkness 2, Warhammer 40K: Space Marine, Call of Juarez: The Cartel, Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, Track Mania 2: Canyon, Alice Madness Returns, Soul Calibur 5, Hunted the Demons Forge, UFC Personal Trainer, Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City, Wii Exerbeat, Red Johnson Chronicles, Dark Souls, Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Solider, Dead or Alive Dimensions, Child of Eden, Anarchy Reigns, Star Wars Kinect.

Game People Podcast - Alan Wake, Stacking, Flower, Uncharted Series, LA Noire.

Reviews – LA Noire, Faery Legends of Avalon, Soldnerx 2: The Final Prototype – The Last Chapter, Mircobot, Zeit, Spare Parts, Hard Corps: Uprising, Nintendo 3DS, Pilotwings Resort, Super Street Fighter 4: 3D Edition, Nintendogs and Cats, Steel Diver, Dead or Alive Dimensions, Strania: The Stella Machina, Ghostbusters Sanctum of Slime, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile.

Previews – Bullet Storm.

Articles and Interviews – Nine Things to Remember About Japanese Business Culture, Interview with Q-Games Ariel Angelotti, Interview with Q-Games Jaymin Kessler.

Darren is back just in time for a semi-festive show. We spend most of our time catching up on the last few months events and our respective holiday breaks but in the process we do touch on lots of games in-between our stories.

As I said last show do not expect Dans wonderfully detailed show notes every week, and this week serves only to reaffirm that declaration. I can tell you that you can expect us to talk about all the games we played recently, Red Dwarf, bad commercials, me pissing myself, me being taunted by hordes of nerds, the upcoming 2010 releases and our vacations. Unfortunately even with Darren back there is no Frakkers this show, but we do have some music and the return of Darrens Old Games.

Hopefully 2010 will mark a more regular schedule for The DoFuss Show as we stream line the formula, but we make no promises. Enjoy the show and keep an eye on the site this month for some gaming memories of the last ten years.

I am trying to get back in to oil painting, Darren insists on Twitpic updates so keep an eye on that if you care.

Craig Charles had far too much to do with it. [ 1:11:33 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Sorry, I have been really busy writing for a number of sites recently so I do not have any new posts this week. DoFuss is still my baby though and I am writing an article to go up in the next few days. Until then my article on game pricing just went up on Videogame-Reviews. This post officially makes me (very) semi-professional so leave some comments on their site to show them that I am worth the money.

Here is a short excerpt…

“Unfortunately for publishers who would like to try [... a varied pricing structure for games...] during the first generation of Playstation and the inception of optical media storage, game prices have become more or less standardized. Gone are the days of magic SFX chips hidden in cartridges that enabled developers to charge for the physical edition to the games storage medium. Consumers seemingly only acknowledge the delivery method of their entertainment and not the development cost or quality. With the standardization of price companies could no longer form a business model that could accommodate niche games for a smaller audience by altering the price accordingly.”

Read more here…